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Mother's Quest Podcast

Are you a mom who is ready to live a truly E.P.I.C. life? A few months before a big milestone birthday, host Julie Neale, a life and leadership coach, community builder and mom to two high-energy boys, decided to stop sidelining her dreams and become the hero of her own journey. She created this show to help light her way by gathering words of wisdom and lessons learned from other mothers further ahead on their quest. Join in for intimate conversations with a diverse group of inspiring mothers as they share how they are living an E.P.I.C. life, engaging mindfully with their children (E), passionately and purposefully making a difference beyond their family (P), investing in themselves (I), and connecting to a strong support network (C). Come along with Julie and you are sure to find some treasures of your own.
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Now displaying: June, 2017
Jun 29, 2017

I’m excited to share this episode #22 with Kalika Yap, a serial entrepreneur, inventor, intentional mother, and business leader. She’s received tremendous recognition for her accomplishments, including being honored by the Anti-Defamation League, serving as a panelist with Magic Johnson on an Urban Economic Forum hosted by the Obama White House, and currently leading as the President of Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO) Los Angeles Chapter.

Kalika is from more humble beginnings. She came from a big family born in the Philippines in the time of Martial Law that then moved to a low income community in Hawaii. Growing up, she had strong influences from her mother who is a teacher and her father who is an entrepreneur. Along with her husband, she now imparts these family influences or “Ohana” and a focus on “Core Values”  to her two daughters, 10 and 8 years old.

She's currently starting a company with her daughters, prompted by a school project, called Conscious Kids, a mindfulness resource for children. Believing that children have eyes all around and a unique perspective, she engages her daughters in defining the core values of their business and encourages them to explore their creativity.

Her current mission, through her branded commerce start-up, Orange and Bergamot, is to help 1 million businesses succeed and in turn create 1 million jobs by developing amazing brands. She shares about what helps her achieve ambitious goals like these while being present for her family: reaching out to others, being part of a tribe, being willing to ask for help, and developing “Keystone Habits,” like meditation.

Ultimately, she believes that the destination is the journey, and that the purpose of her life is to find joy and happiness while serving others.

We covered a lot of ground in this interview and I felt like I filled my E.P.I.C. Life Toolkit with powerful strategies: to focus on values, develop keystone habits, and consciously choose a life of service. I left the conversation inspired by Kalika to pursue our entrepreneurial dreams and empower other women to do the same, all while being a present and intentional parent.

This Week’s "Opportunity for Growth":
Embrace meditation as a “Keystone Habit” and see how it can change your life

Topics discussed in this episode:

  • How Kalika's Relationship with her Mom grew stronger as she had kids of her own
  • The Core Values in Kalika’s home and her businesses
  • Conscious Kids, a company she is starting with her children, that gives them an opportunity to explore their core values and creativity
  • Her bold mission to help 1 million businesses succeed
  • The problem of women feeling guilty for wanting to positively make an impact and not being willing to promote themselves
  • “Keystone Habits” that lead to other essential habits
  • Kalika’s love of reading and learning and the books she thinks will most help us live our E.P.I.C. lives
  • Look at life as a whole map or journey, and don’t judge it by days

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Announcements

If you haven’t yet visited the website, head over to www.mothersquest.com to explore some of the ways you can get more connected. At the site, you can sign up for our email list (to get show notes delivered to your inbox and our new “Mothers on a Quest” features), click the link to join the Facebook group and press record to leave a voice message for me.

You can also explore the new coaching offerings, sign up for a complimentary discovery session, and download the FREE Live Your E.P.I.C. Life Planning and Reflection Sheets.

Guided Meditation and Q & A in the Mother's Quest Facebook Group
Look out for our upcoming Facebook Live guest, Kari Azuma of the Conscious Mother's Coalition, who will lead a Guided Meditation and Q & A in the Mother's Quest Facebook Group on the evening of Thursday, July 6th. This would be a great opportunity for practicing meditation as a keystone habit. Make sure to sign up to join the Facebook Group, if you're not yet a member, to get reminders and access.

Clarity Coaching (1.5 hr): E.P.I.C. Life Reflection and Strategy Session 

I’m particularly excited to invite you to participate in a signature clarity coaching offering called an E.P.I.C. Life Reflection and Strategy Session. If you’ve loved the interviews on the podcast and imagined what your own responses might be to my questions, this offering will give you that opportunity to go deep about the way in which the E.P.I.C. guideposts are showing up in your life, explore what you want more or less of in your life, and commit to key action steps.

We’ll record our conversation for you to listen to again and I’ll follow up by email to provide some accountability so you know you have a coach in your corner paying attention and cheering you on. Visit the work with me page at mothersquest.com to learn more and sign up.

Acknowledgements

A big THANK YOU to our “patrons” for helping to bring these conversations to myself and other mothers through financial and/or in-kind support:

  • Liane Louie-Badua, who provided this week’s dedication
  • Cristin Downs
  • Erin Kendall
  • Niko Osoteo
  • Erik Newton
  • Claire Fry
  • Divya Silbermann
  • Rachel Winter
  • Caren and Debbie Lieberman
  • Cameron Miranda
  • Fran and David Lieberman
  • Debbie and Alan Goore
  • Sustainable Living Podcast

If you'd like to make a contribution to Mother's Quest to support Season Two of the Podcast and/or help provide coaching scholarships for mothers, follow this link to make a contribution http://mothersquest.com/be-a-supporter/

If you would like to "dedicate" an upcoming episode to a special mother in your life, email me at julie@mothersquest.com

Mother's Quest is a podcast for moms who are ready to live a truly E.P.I.C. life.

Join in for intimate conversations with a diverse group of inspiring mothers as they share how they are living an E.P.I.C. life, Engaging mindfully with their children (E), Passionately and Purposefully making a difference beyond their family (P), Investing in themselves (I), and Connecting to a strong support network (C).

Join our community of mothers to light the way and sustain you on your quest at https://www.facebook.com/groups/mothersquest/

Jun 18, 2017

Welcome to this very special Father's Day edition of the Mother’s Quest Podcast!

In honor of Father’s Day, I’m so excited to bring you this conversation with a friend, former colleague, mindful father to two children, and a champion for underserved youth in Los Angeles --someone who I admire deeply-- Tony Brown.  

Tony Brown is the Executive Director of Heart of Los Angeles, also known as HOLA, where he has touched the lives of thousands of children, helping to break the cycle of poverty, and replacing it with opportunity.

We met when we were both just out of college, working together at HOLA, where we instantly became friends and felt we were part of a family. In a nurturing environment that really does feel like family, HOLA provides underserved youth near downtown LA with exceptional programs in academics, arts, and athletics, empowering them to develop their potential, pursue their education, and strengthen their communities.

Tony has served as the executive director at HOLA since 2007 and has spearheaded incredible growth in the number of youth served, new buildings to house the programs, and relationships with world-class partners.

HOLA collaborates with the Los Angeles Philharmonic to furnish instruments and music instruction, with performances at major venues across California and abroad. Leading museums link HOLA with professional artists and exhibit student works, Bard College graduate students provide academic and music support, and the Los Angeles Lakers partner in sports programs.

For this work, Tony has received tremendous recognition, including a $200,000 James Irvine Foundation Leadership Innovation Award, accolades from the Center for Non-Profit Management and in 2014, he was featured as a TEDx Speaker.

In this episode, Tony shares how growing up in the 70’s, in a community without other black families, shaped his character and helped him develop tremendous patience and understanding.

He tells us how his mother challenged him, pushed him to become independent at an early age, and to become his best. And how he feels he’s on a quest himself to make the world a better place than how he found it, not only through his work at HOLA, but through expanding the understanding and world-view of his two young children.

We also talk about how difficult it is to sustain oneself amid the emotional and challenging work as an Executive Director and youth developer. And, how he learned the importance of literally “jumping back in the pool” to start playing water polo again, to relieve stress and reconnect with an essential part of himself he had begun to lose.

It was so wonderful to get a Dad’s perspective on the podcast and to see how the same E.P.I.C. guideposts resonate for fathers as well.  

I left our conversation inspired by how Tony brings a sense of patience, that he’s cultivated his whole life, to give young people at HOLA opportunities, the importance of “jumping back in the pool” to return to our true selves and the things that make us who we are, holding a big vision, and how we can do more together when we work in partnership.

Topics discussed in this episode:

  • Growing up in the 70’s as the only black family in a white neighborhood

  • Teaching his children philanthropy, being mindful of the environment, and to always think about how to make the world a better place not just for themselves but especially for others

  • How HOLA gives youth opportunities to find their best selves and find their passion and some E.P.I.C. snapshot moments with young people that have come full circle

  • Acknowledging that the work will always be there and the importance of giving yourself the time and outlets to turn it all off

  • Recognizing that as parents we should not be “orbiting” around our children, but guiding them and giving them responsibility and independence while they follow our lead.

  • How we can do so much more when we work toward our big visions together.

  • The power of partnerships and Tony’s challenge to us to reach into the community to create enriching after school opportunities for children who would otherwise not have access.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

  • Heart of Los Angeles - HOLA provides underserved youth with exceptional programs in academics, arts and athletics within a nurturing environment, empowering them to develop their potential, pursue their education and strengthen their communities.

  • Tony’s TEDx Talk: Putting Back What We Stripped Out

  • Budget Philanthropist - The blog of 12 and 13 year old brothers Andrew and Jack Greff where they show that all that’s required is a love of humankind and a desire to improve the welfare of others to be a philanthropist.

  • Mother’s Quest Podcast Episode #08 - Empathy, Acts of Kindness and Climbing Mountains with Erika Greff

  • PACE Place - support for individuals and families as they reach their developmental potential.

Announcements

If you haven’t yet visited the website, head over to www.mothersquest.com to explore some of the ways you can get more connected. At the site, you can sign up for our email list (to get show notes delivered to your inbox and our new “Mothers on a Quest” features), click the link to join the Facebook group and press record to leave a voice message for me.

You can also explore the new coaching offerings, sign up for a complimentary discovery session, and download the FREE Live Your E.P.I.C. Life Planning and Reflection Sheets

Clarity Coaching (1.5 hr): E.P.I.C. Life Reflection and Strategy Session 

I’m particularly excited to invite you to participate in a signature clarity coaching offering called an E.P.I.C. Life Reflection and Strategy Session. If you’ve loved the interviews on the podcast and imagined what your own responses might be to my questions, this offering will give you that opportunity to go deep about the way in which the E.P.I.C. guideposts are showing up in your life, explore what you want more or less of in your life, and commit to key action steps.

We’ll record our conversation for you to listen to again and I’ll follow up by email to provide some accountability so you know you have a coach in your corner paying attention and cheering you on. Visit the work with me page at mothersquest.com to learn more and sign up.

Acknowledgements

A big THANK YOU to our “patrons” for helping to bring these conversations to myself and other mothers through financial and/or in-kind support:

  • Cristin Downs of the Notable Woman Podcast, who provided this week’s dedication

  • Erin Kendall of Fit Mom Go

  • Niko Osoteo

  • Erik Newton

  • Claire Fry

  • Divya Silbermann

  • Rachel Winter

  • Caren and Debbie Lieberman

  • Cameron Miranda

  • Fran and David Lieberman

  • Debbie and Alan Goore

  • Jenise and Marianne of the Sustainable Living Podcast

If you'd like to make a contribution to Mother's Quest to support Season Two of the Podcast and/or help provide coaching scholarships for mothers, follow this link to make a contribution http://mothersquest.com/be-a-supporter/

If you would like to "dedicate" an upcoming episode to a special mother in your life, email me at julie@mothersquest.com

---

Mother's Quest is a podcast for moms who are ready to live a truly E.P.I.C. life.

Join in for intimate conversations with a diverse group of inspiring mothers as they share how they are living an E.P.I.C. life, Engaging mindfully with their children (E), Passionately and Purposefully making a difference beyond their family (P), Investing in themselves (I), and Connecting to a strong support network (C).

Join our community of mothers to light the way and sustain you on your quest at https://www.facebook.com/groups/mothersquest/

Jun 1, 2017

Hello and welcome to this episode #20 and the first in Season Two of the Mother’s Quest Podcast! 

This week’s guest, Kathleen Shannon, embodies the qualities of an independent, hard-working feminist. She also has this incredible generosity and openness and has impacted so many women, including myself, by sharing her experiences as a mother and an entrepreneur. 
 
Kathleen is the co-founder of Braid Creative & Consulting and the co-host of one of my favorites, the Being Boss podcast for creative entrepreneurs. Through her work at Braid Creative and Being Boss she has helped thousands of creative entrepreneurs from all over the world authentically brand and position themselves as creative experts, cultivate confidence in their business, and blend more of who they are into the work they do.

When she's not podcasting, writing a book, or shaping her next newsletter she's hanging with her husband Jeremy and their toddler Fox. 
 
In this episode, Kathleen reflects on the impact her mother’s total adoration and acceptance had on her, giving her the freedom to be herself along with the secure foundation to be creative and explore.
 
We talk about the challenges of motherhood, the profound experience of her home birth, the sleep deprivation she experienced in her first year, and the tough decisions she’s had to make to build her businesses and be fully present for her son
 
She also shares how she’s learned to ask for help. Her fiercely independent attitude made it difficult for her to get support from her network. But learning to lean on her support network allows her to make a passionate & purposeful impact beyond her son and in turn allowed her son to learn to love other people and experience opportunities that she alone can’t provide him.
 
Kathleen also shares how she invests in herself by prioritizing her health, creating white space, and owning her schedule. And, she gives us two challenges, the first to reach out to someone to care for our child and the second to spend some time with our calendars, designing our ideal week and noticing the gap between the ideal and the real. 

I loved connecting personally with Kathleen and left the conversation enriched by the spectrum between surrender and control, security and freedom and a sense of excitement for re-designing my time to allow for the full range of both. 
 
Topics discussed in this episode:

  • Kathleen’s unusual and early first memory
  • How freedom within the context of security allowed Kathleen’s creativity to thrive
  • Kathleen's experience giving birth to Fox, which she says felt like seeing God, made her more connected to herself, and is the coolest thing she's ever done
  • The impact of sleep deprivation and the importance of asking for help
  • We don't have to be present for our kids 24/7 but we should be fully present in the moments that have the most meaning
  • A recent example where Kathleen realized she’s really making the difference she wants to make
  • Creating balance, white space, community, and the impact of one on one conversations
  • The conflict of creating comfort and stability for Kathleen’s child while being creative and adventurous
  • How putting relationships first and business second is what makes partnerships thrive
  • Connecting the dots between being a mother and being a boss

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Announcements

If you haven’t yet visited the website, head over to mothersquest.com to explore some of the ways you can get more connected. At the site, you can sign up for our email list (to get show notes delivered to your inbox and new weekly round-ups of "gems" I'm finding on my quest), click the link to join the Facebook group and press record to leave a voice message for me.

You can also explore the new coaching offerings, sign up for a discovery session, and download the FREE Live Your E.P.I.C. Life Planning and Reflection Sheets 

Acknowledgements

A big THANK YOU to our “patrons” for helping to bring these conversations to myself and other mothers through financial and/or in-kind support:

  • Erin Kendall of Fit Mom Go, who provided this week's dedication
  • Niko Osoteo
  • Erik Newton
  • Claire Fry
  • Divya Silbermann
  • Rachel Winter
  • Caren and Debbie Lieberman
  • Cameron Miranda
  • Fran and David Lieberman
  • Debbie and Alan Goore
  • Jenise and Marianne of the Sustainable Living Podcast

If you'd like to make a contribution to Mother's Quest to support Season Two of the Podcast and/or help provide coaching scholarships for mothers, follow this link to make a contribution http://mothersquest.com/be-a-supporter/

If you would like to "dedicate" an upcoming episode to a special mother in your life, email me at julie@mothersquest.com

Mother's Quest is a podcast for moms who are ready to live a truly E.P.I.C. life.

Join in for intimate conversations with a diverse group of inspiring mothers as they share how they are living an E.P.I.C. life, Engaging mindfully with their children (E), Passionately and Purposefully making a difference beyond their family (P), Investing in themselves (I), and Connecting to a strong support network (C).

Join our community of mothers to light the way and sustain you on your quest at https://www.facebook.com/groups/mothersquest/

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